The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus using electrophotographic technology such as a printer, a facsimile machine or a copier, and relates to a developer collection container, a developer cartridge and a developing unit used in the image forming apparatus.
In a conventional image forming apparatus, a developer collection container is provided for collecting a waste toner (i.e., a residual toner that has not been transferred to a recording medium). The developer collection container has a collection opening through which the waste toner falls into the developer collection container. The collection opening is formed on, for example, an end portion of the developer collection container in a longitudinal direction of the developer collection container. A conveying member with a spiral auger is provided in the developer collection container, and conveys the waste toner (having fallen from the collection opening) toward an opposite end portion of the developer collection container so as not to cause stagnation of the waste toner in the vicinity of the collection opening.
Such a developer collection container is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-316351 (Page 6, FIG. 5).
In the conventional toner collection container, the conveying member partly extends in the longitudinal direction of the toner collection container, and therefore it is difficult to efficiently store the waste toner throughout the toner collection container.